Methods and means for packaging vehicles in land-sea containers

ABSTRACT

A PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR THE SHIPMENT OF DISASSEMBLED VEHICLES, SUCH AS BUSES AND TRUCKS, IS PROVIDED IN WHICH A PERMANENT, REUSEABLE LAND-SEA SHIPPING CONTAINER IS UTILIZED TO PACKAGE A PLURALITY OF DISASSEMBLED VEHICLES. PROVISION IS MADE FOR SECURING HEAVIER COMPONENTS IN LOAD-SUPPORTING RELATIONSHIP TO THE DECK OF THE CONTAINER. IN THE CASE OF FLAT-FACED COWL AND COWL-AND-WINDSHIELD TYPE VEHICLES, THERE IS SECURED TO THE DECK OF THE CONTAINER A STACKED ARRANGEMENT OF VEHICLE FRAMES OF SUFFICIENT HEIGHT TO PROVIDE A PROTECTIVE AREA INTO WHICH HEAVY COMPONENTS SUCH AS ENGINES, TRANSMISSIONS, DIFFERENTIALS AND THE LIKE, CAN BE COMPLETELY INSERTED AND SECURED. THE REMAINING SPACE WITHIN THE CONTAINER MAY BE UTILIZED TO SECURE LIGHTER COMPONENTS INCLUDING STACKER ARRANGEMENTS AND COWLS.   IN THE CASE OF TRUCKS WITH COMPLETE CABS, A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FOR PACKAGING INCLUDES THE PACKAGING OF FOUR COMPLETE TRUCKS BY SECURING TWO PAIRS OF SUPERIMPOSED FRAMES IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP ON THE FLOOR OF THE CONTAINER. IN THIS INSTANCE, AT LEAST SOME OF THE HEAVIER COMPONENTS SUCH AS ENGINES, TRANSMISSIONS, DIFFERENTIALS AND THE LIKE, ARE MOUNTED WITHIN THE VEHICLE CABS AND THE CABS, IN TURN, ARE MOUNTED ON AND SECURED TO THE TRUCK FRAMES. OTHER PARTS OF THE DISASSEMBLED VEHICLES SUCH AS TIRES, FENDERS AND THE LIKE, ARE SECURED OR NESTED BETWEEN THE SIDE RAILS OF THE VEHICLE FRAMES AND IN REMAINING AREAS OF THE CONTAINER. BY UTILIZING THE ABOVE ARRANGEMENTS, A NUMBER OF COMPLETE VEHICLES CAN BE PACKAGED WITHIN A SINGLE LAND-SEA CONTAINER.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 yIN LAND-SEA CONTAINERS R. T. CADILLAC METHODS ANDMEANS FOR PACKAGING VEHICLES Sept. 2l, 1971 Filed June 9, 1959 Sept. 21,1971 n.1'. CADILLAC 3,606,944

METHODS AND HEANS FOR PACKAGING VEHICLES i IN LAND-SEA CONTAINERS medJunge, 1969 s sheets-sheet 2 A WOHNM Y Sept. 21, 1971 R 1'. CADILLAC3,506,944

METHODS AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING VEHICLES IN LAND-SEA CONTAINERS 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 9, 1969 l-lllllnlzllllfll------ FIG. 5

United States Patent Ofice 3 606,944 METHODS AND MEANS FOR PACKAGINGVEHICLES IN LAND-SEA CONTAINERS Robert T. Cadillac, 1110 E. 21st St.,Brooklyn, N.Y. 11210 Filed June 9, 1969, Ser. No. 831,587 Int. Cl. B65d85/68 U.S. Cl. 20G-65K 23 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A packagingsystem for the shipment of disassembled vehicles, such as buses andtrucks, is provided in which a permanent, reuseable land-sea shippingcontainer is utilized to package a plurality of disassembled vehicles.Provision is made for securing heavier components in load-supportingrelationship to the deck of the container. In the case of hat-faced cowland cowl-and-windshield type vehicles, there is secured to the deck ofthe container a stacked arrangement of vehicle frames of sufficientheight to provide a protective area into which heavy components such asengines, transmissions, differentials and the like, can be completelyinserted and secured. The remaining space within the container may beutilized to secure lighter components including stacked arrangements andcowls.

In the case of trucks with complete cabs, a preferred embodiment forpackaging includes the packaging of four complete trucks by securing twopairs of superimposed frames in side-by-side relationship on the floorof the container. In this instance, at least some of the heaviercomponents such as engines, transmissions, differentials and the like,are mounted within the vehicle cabs and the cabs, in turn, are mountedon and secured to the truck frames. Other parts of the disassembledvehicles such as tires, fenders and the like, are secured or nestedbetween the side rails of the vehicle frames and in remaining areas ofthe container.

By utilizing the above arrangements, a number of complete vehicles canbe packaged within a single land-sea container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the packaging ofvehicles for shipment overseas as by ocean-going vessels and the like.More particularly, this invention is concerned with a method forpackaging vehicles within so-called land-sea shipping containers.

A major revolution is taking place in the shipping industry with thedevelopment and increasing acceptance of a permanent and reusable typeof shipping container herein referred to as a land-sea shippingcontainer. These containers are comprised of strong structural elementsthat may be used and reused over a long period of time. While many sizesand shapes of these containers are now in use, a particularly common oneis approximately 8 feet wide and 8 feet high in cross section. They mayvary considerably in length, but the more common sizes are 20, 25, 30and `4() feet. The container has doors at the rear end that open in amanner similar to those of a conventional semi-trailer. Others have noroofs, which provides ready access to the interior of the container fromabove. The container is, in fact, similar to a semi-trailer in itsexterior appearance.

The land-sea containers are of great utility. Since they are of standardsizes, they are readily and efficiently loaded and unloaded ontosea-going vessels, and since they are of a shape and size similar tothat of a semi-trailer, they may readily be placed on flat bedsemi-trailers and transported thereon. Likewise, they may be loaded orunloaded from fiat bed railroad cars.

Fittings are usually provided at the various corners of 3,606,944Patented Sept. 2l, 1971 the land-sea container. Fittings on the fourlower corners are provided so that the container may be locked onto theflat bed of a truck, trailer or railroad car, and fixtures on the topfour corners are provided to enable loading and unloading the containersby means of specially designed cranes. The fixtures also serve tofacilitate nesting several containers on top of each other, as in thehold of a ship, and permit locking them in superimposed position withrespect to one another.

The convenience of these land-sea containers is quite apparent. Theiruse makes it possible to load the container, to transport the containeroverland as by truck or railroad car, to load the container, with greatsimplicity, onto sea-going vessels, to unload the container at itsdestination and, if desired, to transport the container overland to itsfinal destination by truck or railroad. In an ideal situation, aland-sea container may be packaged at the factory and transported bythese several types of transportation to its final destination withoutever disturbing the contents or removing them from the container. Notonly will this reduce breakage. but it is also Van effective safeguardagainst pilferage. Since the containers are of regular size and shape,large high-speed cranes can be designed to load and unload them ontosea-going vessels and they can be packed with kgreat eficiency into theholds of seagoing vessels. Also, when desired, they conveniently may besecured topside, thus increasing the cargo-carrying capacity of afreighter. In practice, it has been found that the time to load andunload sea-going vessels adapted to carry these land-sea containers maybe reduced by several days.

As mentioned above, the principal object of this invention is to providemethods for efficiently utilizing these land-sea containers forpackaging trucks and other vehicles as for overseas shipment. It is acommon practice known to the prior art to enclose certain vehicles, whendisassembled, into protective crates or boxes for overseas shipment.Rates for the overseas shipment of these disassembled vehicles and othervarious goods are based not only upon the weight of the articles whichare being shipped but also upon the volume occupied by the crates,commonly referred to as cubage As the cost of shipping vehicles overseasmay represent a significant percentage of the final selling price ofsuch vehicles, it has been important to improve upon crating and boxingtechniques so that the shipping costs can be minimized. Since the weightof the vehicle is a substantially fixed quantity, a reduction inshipping costs can be achieved only by reducing the cubage of the cratedvehicle.

While heretofore the problem was to package a vehicle in a carton thatwould occupy the smallest possible cubage, the problem is significantlydifferent when a landsea container is used. Since the cubage is now afixed item (that is, fixed by the size and shape of the land-seacontainer), the problem is not to reduce this cubage, but rather toinclude the greatest possible tonnage within this given cubage. It is nolonger possible to build a container of most efficient shape about adisassembled vehicle, but rather it is necessary to find ways to includethe maximum number of disassembled vehicles within a container of givenshape and volume.

Summarizing, then, utilization of the new land-sea containers hascompletely changed the perspective of packaging vehicles for overseasshipment. Now, rather than trying to get a fixed tonnage in the smallestcubage, the problem is one of getting the most tonnage packed into afixed cubage.

In addition to attempting to get the maximum tonnage into a fixedcubage, it can be understood that it is extremely desirable to arrangethe packaging so that complete units are included within a singlecontainer. If a single container includes a complete inventory of all ofthe parts of one or more disassembled vehicles, these vehicles may beassembled at their destination even though other companion containershave gone astray. Thus, to achieve maximum economy, convenience andutility in the use of land-sea containers, not only should the tonnagepacked within a given container be maximized, but also each containershould include a whole number of complete vehicle assemblies.

Several major problems arise when attempting to include a plurality ofcomplete vehicle units within a single container, the primary one beingthat there is a single load-supporting bed or deck to the container uponwhich the heavy components can be secured. Since many portions of thevehicle, such as the cab, fenders and hood, cannot support heavyweights, they must be positioned above the heavier elements and,conversely, all of the heavier elements must be secured below them. Thisgives rise to serious diiculties since the square feet of deck spaceavailable generally is not sufficient to serve as a load-bearing surfacefor all of the heavy elements of the disassembled vehicles.

This problem becom'es particularly acute when trucks with complete cabs,as opposed to cowl and cowl-andwindshield assemblies, are packagedwithin the land-sea container. A problem imposed by the cab assembliesis that it uses a fair portion of the head room within the land-seacontainer so that not only is the load-supporting deck of the containerat a premium, but also there is a serious limitation as to the heightthat heavy components can be stacked over the load-supporting deck whilestill leaving suflcient head rom for the insertion of a cab.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of this inventionto provide methods for packaging disassembled vehicles within landseacontainers.

Another object of this invention is to maximize the number of completedisassembled vehicles that can be packaged within a single land-seacontainer.

Another object of this invention is to provide methods for packagingdisassembled vehicles within land-sea containers in a manner that willprotect the more fragile elements of the vehicles such as the cab,fenders and hood, from damage.

Another object of this invention is to provide methods for packaging andshipping disassembled vehicles in landsea containers, which method willmaximize the utilization of the cubage of the container, will facilitatethe loading and unloading of the vehicles from the containers, willpermit neater and more eHicient packaging, and will reduce breakage ofthe contents of the container during shipment.

Another object of this invention is to provide methods for packaging andshipping disassembled vehicles in landsea containers which enablespre-packaging of certain components to facilitate the final packaging byarranging the pre-package units within the containers at the same orlater at other loading sites and which further facilitates storage ofthe pre-packaged units prior to nal packaging.

Briey, these and other objects of this invention are achieved by carefularrangement of the heavy and light components of the vehicle within thecontainer so that all of the heavy components are secured directly orindirectly to the deck of the container. In the case of vehicles havingcomplete cabs, it is preferred to include four vehicles within a singlecontainer. Here, in the preferred embodiment of this invention, twostacked pairs of elongated frame members are secured in side-by-siderelationship to each other on the deck of the container. The framemembers form a rst support to engage the support-bearing members of thecab. The support-bearing members of the cab are, in turn, utilized tosupport at least Some of the heavier components of the vehicle such asthe engine, transmission, differential and the like. By so arranging theheavy elements within the container, essentially all of the weight ofthe heavy elements is transmitted by strong load-bearing members to thedeck of the container, and the spaces which remain can be utilized forpackaging other lighter parts such as wheels, fenders, tires, steeringwheels, hoods and the like.

In the case of vehicles of the type that have Hat-faced cowls andcowl-and-windshields, a slightly different arrangement is used. Here theproblem is somewhat different since there is no cab oor to mount heavycomponents on and since it is unnecessary to conserve head room sincethe cowl and cowl-and-windshield arrangements can be nested togethereither at one end of the container or laid out flat on top of theheavier components. Accordingly, with vehicles of this type it ispreferred to secure a stack of frames to the deck of the container whichstack is suciently high to permit all of the heavier components of thevehicle such as engine, differential, transmission and the like, to benested down and secured between the side members of the frames. Thelighter components, including the cowls, can be positioned in theremaining space within the container.

In addition to permitting maximum utilization of the cubage of theland-sea container by packaging disassembled vehicles in this manner,several other advantages are gained. One particular advantage is thatvarious vehicle components can be pre-packaged to facilitate loading ofthe land-sea container. For example, stacked pairs of frame members andthe components secured within their rails can be pre-packaged as bysecuring them to a skid or pallet` The skid may be made from plywoodsheets or any other suitable material of light weight that has suicientstrength to support the parts. The skid will function variously toprovide a bottom surface so that the parts may readily be slid into andout of the container. It also provides a platform to which the parts maybe anchored and it prevents smaller parts from falling out of thepackage. Depending upon the nature of the parts mounted on the skid, itmay be desirable to encase them in a wrapping paper or paper board toprotect them from damage, pilferage, or becoming detached from thecontainer.

In the case of vehicles having complete cabs, another pre-package can bemade by securing elements within the vehicle cab, and still otherpre-packages can be made to contain other miscellaneous parts.

A number of benets are gained by pre-packaging the various components.First, they greatly facilitate loading and unloading operations sinceonly two or three basic units need be handled to pack the containerrather than a plurality of smaller parts or elements. In addition tofacilitating loading and unloading of the container, the design of aneat and reproducible packaging arrangement is made possible. Thisresults from the fact that if the various elements are pre-packagedprior to insertion into the container, the manner in which the containeris packaged will not vary, from time to time, for a given rig, but willalways be packed in the identical efficient and secure manner. Theshipper may program by predesign the exact manner in which he wishes thecontainer to be packed without depending upon the vagaries of theemployees doing the packing. This insures efficient utilization of thecontainer at all times, both with respect to cubage and also withrespect to packaging efficiently and securely in a manner that willminimize breakage. Minimizing breakage is quite significant since, inaddition to avoiding loss and necessitating replacement of broken goods,insurance rates may be materially reduced if breakage experience is low.

Pre-packaging of the components also permits remote loading ofcontainers. The Various pre-packages can be prepared, shipped and/orstored, then eciently inserted into the container at the point of finalpackaging. In addition to the above advantages, this type ofpre-packaging` facilitates loading of the container at remote locationsby relatively unskilled or untrained labor while still maintainingmaximum efficiency.

DESCRIPTION oF THE DRAWINGS The invention can be better understood fromthe following description of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a container packed with truck parts inaccordance with the present invention, a portion of the container beingbroken out to disclose the packaging arrangement of certain parts withinthe container;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic transverse sectional view through acontainer, with some of the truck parts to be packaged positionedtherein;

FIG. 3 is a view of the container of FIG. 2 but illustrating the mannerof packaging most of the principal components according to theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating an alternativepackaging arrangement according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a somewhat schematic illustration in plan illustrating asystem for packaging cabs having at-faced cowls either with or withoutwindshields; and

FIG. 6 is an elevational view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 5.

In considering the arrangement of `the invention, it is `lirst pointedout that in a typical embodiment of the invention, it is contemplated topackage or pack trucks having a main frame made up of side channels 5 5interconnected by cross braces or beams 6. When assembled, the truckframe here illustrated is adapted to carry a cab 7, the cab having adownwardly open well indicated at 8 in which the frame is received whenthe truck is assembled. Inspection of FIGS. 1 and 3 will clarify thegeneral shape and arrangement of a typical cab of a truck of the kindhere being considered, being conventional with respect to the rear viewwindow 9, side doors 10 and windshield 1l.

The frame and the cab are some of the principal disassembled partsrequired to be packaged. In addition, the motor 12 comprises anothermajor component requiring packaging, and it is here noted that inaccordance with the present invention, the motor for each truck ispreferably mounted within the cab in the general manner disclosed morefully in the Cadillac et al. Pat. 3,286,827. Other components of thedisassembled trucks which are contemplated for storage within thecontainer along with the the frame, cab and motor, include fenders,wheels, drive shaft, radiator, hood, etc., and herebelow it will bepointed out where in the container such additional components are stowedor packaged in accordance with the invention.

With the foregoing general description of the major components in mind,attention is now directed to the packaging system provided in accordancewtih the present invention. In FIGS. l, 2 and 3, a container is utilizedhaving a bottom wall 13, side walls 14 and 15, and a top wall 16.Although both ends of the container may be provided with doors foraccess, this is not necessary land it is here assumed that at the end ofthe container remote from the viewer, the container of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3is provided with a plain end wall permanently closing that end. Asviewed in FIG. l, the near end of the container is adapted to be closedby a pair of doors, one of which is shown at 17 and is hinged at 18, andthe other of which 19 is largely broken away so as to disclose interiorpackaging arrangements. Any suitable door-fastening devices such as thelock rod 20 may be provided.

In accordance with the present invention, a container of the kind abovedescribed is used for the packaging of four disassembled trucks of thekind described. In effecting this packaging in accordance with theembodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a pair of truck frames, each includingthe longitudinal channels 5 and cross braces 6, are stacked one uponanother and are mounted on a pallet 21, preferably being secured to askid by means of straps 22. This initial assembly of disassembled partsof the four trucks to be packaged is placed in the container byintroduction through the open end and positioned in the container asshown in FIG. 2, with the frames extended lengthwise substantiallythroughout the length of the container and with the stacked pair offrames positioned adjacent the side wall 14.

A second pair of truck frames is then similarly assembled with a skid 21and this assembly is inserted through the open end of the container inside-by-side relationship to the frames of the rst assembly, as isclearly seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. While not illustrated in the drawing, itcan be understood that the two pairs of truck frames should be securelytied down to the bed of the container as by means of straps, blocks orthe like.

The chambers or spaces lying between the side channels 55 and betweenthe transverse members 6 of the frames provide for the stowage ofnumerous components including, for example, the wheels of the trucks.

The four cabs of the four trucks are then assembled onto skids orplatforms 23. The cabs may be mounted onto four indivdiual skids or, forconvenience in loading two, three or four cabs, may be mounted on thesame skid preferably in back-to-back and head-to-head relationship. Inorder to strengthen the bottom wall of the cab so as to carry the loadof the motor to be mounted therein, filler pieces, for instance in theform of wood strips 24, are inserted at the sides of the downwardly openwells 8 of the cabs, in the manner described in Pat. No. 3,286,827 aboveidentified. Each skid 23 with one or more cabs and motors carriedthereby is then fork-lifted into the end of the container and slid alongthe top of the frame assemblies until the four cabs are positionedwithin the container in a series alternately facing in the two oppositedirections throughout the series. These skids, cab and motor assembliesmay advantageously be supported on the truck frames in a positionadjacent the side wall 14 of the container, as appears in FIG. 2. Itwill be seen that this positioning of the series of cabs provides alarge packaging volume between the cabs and the opposite side wall 1S ofthe containers. This space is of such size and shape that it may beeffectively utilized in the packaging of such items as engine hoods,fenders, etc., which in turn may be arranged and inserted in apre-packaged condition. Each motor is desirably fastened upon asupporting deck 25 by means of which the motor is mounted within thecab, the assemblies of motor and cab being retained by suitablefastening means such as straps, one of which appears at 26 in FIG. 3.

The cab and motor assemblies, together with the skid 23 provided for thecabs, are fastened in place within the container as by straps 27. It isalso within the scope of this invention to package the cab and motorassemblies without relying on the skid 23. In this instance, the motorand cab assemblies are secured directly t0 the truck frames so that thesub-frame of the cab is directly supported by the chassis.

It will further be observed that the mounting of the rnotor and cabassemblies Within the container effectively carries the weight of theseparts because these assemblies are mounted upon the truck frames whichthemselves are structural parts easily capable of carrying heavy loadswithout distortion or damage. The practical effect of this arrangementis to double the load-bearing space available within the land-seacontainer.

In accordance with the foregoing, the packaging system 0f the presentinvention provides for the packaging of all of the parts of fourdisassembled trucks into a single container, the parts being readilyinserted into and removed from the openable end of the container.Effective use of the container volume and adequate structural mountingof heavy parts are both achieved, notwithstanding the fact that variousof the truck parts considered individually do not readily lendthemselves to efcient utilization of packaging volume.

The modification of FIG. 4 provides for a similar packaging arrangementin a container having a bottom Wall 28, side walls 29 and 30, and havingan open top adapted to be covered, for instance by a tarpaulin indicatedat 31. In this container, both end walls `could be permanent withoutdoors.

In packaging the disassembled parts of the trucks in the container ofFIG. 4, it is contemplated that pairs of stacked frames be assembled andfastened together, but without necessarily employing a skid such asindicated at 21 in the first embodiment. The assembled stacked pairs offrames are let down into the container through the open top, and thenthe assemblies of one or more cabs and motors, mounted on a skid orplatform, are then also let down into the container through the open topand positioned in the same general position as described above withreference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

This alternative packaging system also, as above, provides space withinthe stacked pairs of frames to receive various other disassembled partsof the trucks, such as wheels, and the cabs can be nested over theframes and their contents in the most eicient configuration. As in theembodiment of FIGS. l-3, a large and efficiently proportioned volume isprovided between the cabs and the wall 30 of the container for themounting of various other disassembled parts of the trucks.

In the above description, the trucks that were packaged had chassis thatwere slightly shorter than 3() feet and cabs less than 8 feet in depth,which provided for optimum utilization of a land-sea container 8 feetsquare and 30 feet long. It can be understood that the proper length ofthe container should be selected with regard to the length of thechassis and the size of the cab.

Referring to FIGS. and 6, a diierent packaging method is illustrated.Here the vehicles being packaged in the land-sea container, rather thanhaving a cab, are of the Hat-faced cowl or cowl-and-windshield type,neither of which have any cab structure behind the fire wall orwindshield. This necessitates a different arrangement for packaging thandescribed above with respect to vehicles having cabs since there is nooor upon which to anchor heavy vehicle components. On the other hand,packaging problems are somewhat simplified since there is no need topreserve suicient head room above the frames for the insertion of acomplete cab.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, a plurality of frames 5 5 are mountedon skids 21 21. The frames 5 5 are stacked suticiently high so thatengines (or other heavy vehicle components) may be nested down betweenthe side members of the frames 5 5. A considerable space 36 is presentover the frames which is suitable for receiving other pre-packagedcomponents. If desired. a divider or platform (not shown) may be restedon the top of the frame members 5 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, flat-faced cowls 35- 35 are nested togetherand stood upright at one end of the container. In order to utilize suchan arrangement, it can be seen that the container must be somewhatlonger than the frames of the vehicle. This arrangement is particularlydesirable if the cowls are of the cowl-and-windshield type as it may beadvantageous to stand them upright and utilize the height of thecontainer.

Another method of packaging the cowls which is particularly useful withflat-faced cowls that do not have windshields is to nest the cowls inone or more packages and lay them in a horizontal position in the space36 above the stacked frames 5 5. It will be understood that, dependingupon the exact type of vehicle and the dimensions of the container,either the cowl or cowl-and-windshield assemblies may be storedvertically or horizontally.

Other types of vehicles are assembled at the factory without any lirewall whatsoever. Typical of this type of vehicle are buses which areshipped overseas and the body is fabricated and attached at thedestination. In this instance it may also be convenient to utilize thearrangement shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein the heavier engine componentsare nested between the side members of the frames.

From the foregoing description of the drawings, it can be understoodthat the methods of the instant invention provide a method wherebyvehicles such as trucks, buses and the like, can efficiently be packagedwithin land-sea containers` The methods not only enable achievingmaximum utilization of the cubage of the land-sea container but alsoprovide additional benefits. As noted above, these packagingarrangements ideally lend themselves to the preparation of pre-packagedunits that are designed to t within the land-sea container in apre-planned fixed relationship to each other. By utilization of thesepre-packages, the containers may be packaged at locations remote 'fromthose where the pre-packages were prepared. Thus, if convenient, thepre-package units can be delivered to a dock or warehouse and, at alater desired time, the prepackaged units can readily be inserted into aland-sea contamer in the most economical and efficient manner eventhough trained help is not available.

I claim:

1. A package of disassembled vehicles comprised of an elongatedcontainer, vehicle frames positioned in sideby-side relationshipextended lengthwise of the container and supported by and secured to thebottom portion of the container. vehicle cabs aligned lengthwise in theconta1ner with the vehicle frames supporting the sub frame of thej cabs,and a heavy vehicle component mounted in each ca 2. A package accordingto claim l wherein remaining components of the vehicles are positionedwithin the frames, in the space between the cabs and the side walls andtop of the container, and in the cabs.

3. A package according to claim 2 wherein two stacked pairs of vehicleframes are positioned in side-by-side relationship.

4. A package according to claim 3 wherein the container is openable atan end and in which the pairs of frames are mounted on skids.

5. A package according to claim 4 wherein the vehicle cabs are mountedon one or more skids.

6. Packaged disassembled vehicles comprising an elongated container. twostacked pairs of vehicle frames positioned in side-by-side relationshipand extended lengthwise of the container in the bottom portion thereof,four vehicle cabs arranged in a series lengthwise of the contamer in aposition above the frames along one side wall of the container, and avehicle motor mounted in each cab, the pairs of cabs being mounted onseparate pallets positioned end-to-end along the vehicle frames.

7. A package of disassembled vehicle comprised of a plurality ofprepackaged vehicle subassemblies including:

a reusable elongated container of regular cross section that is providedwith access means;

a tirst prepackage of assemblies including chassis frames andmiscellaneous components secured between the side frames of suchchassis;

a second prepackaged group of assemblies including at least one vehiclecab into which a heavy vehicle component has been secured along theload-supporting subframe of the cab; and

the first prepackage of assemblies being supported by and secured to thebottom deck of the container and the second prepackage being secured insupporting relationship along the load-bearing surfaces of the subframeof the cab onto the rst subassembly.

8. A package according to claim 7 wherein the first prepackaged assemblyis secured to a skid and the skid is secured to the deck of thecontainer.

9. A package according to claim 7 wherein the cab is mounted on a skidand the skid is secured to the chassis.

10. A package according to claim 7 wherein additional prepackagescontaining additional vehicle subassemblies are prepared and securedwithin the container in predetermined relationship to the cabs and thechassis.

11. A package according to claim 7 wherein four complete vehicle unitsare included within the container.

12. A method for packaging disassembled vehicles for overseas shipmentin reusable land-seat containers of given dimensions including the stepsof:

securing vehicle chassis to the deck of the container and packagingvarious vehicle components between the side frames of the chassis;

securing a relatively heavy vehicle component within the vehicle cab bysupporting the heavy component upon the load-bearing elements of the subframe of the cab; inserting the cab and its contents into the containerand securing the cab in nesting relationship along the loadbearingsurfaces of its sub frame onto the chassis;

securing additional vehicle components in the container in spacesbetween the cab and the side wall of the container.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein two pairs of nested chassisare mounted on the deck of the container and four cabs are secured overthe four chassis whereby the components of four complete vehicles areincluded within the container.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the chassis are mounted on apallet and the components are packaged therein to form a firstprepackage before introducing the rst prepackage into the container.

1S. A method according to claim 13 wherein the cab and heavy componentsare first mounted on a skid to form a second prepackage beforeintroducing the second prepackage into the container and securing it tothe chassis.

16. A method according to claim 13 wherein the remaining components areprepared in a third prepackaged unit before insertion into thecontainer.

17. A package comprising a container and articles packed within thecontainer;

the container being a reusable rectilinear device of a xed standardizeddimension having at least a deck and four walls and means providingaccess to its interior;

the articles of the container including a plurality of complete truckassemblies wherein the body portion of the trucks is comprised only of acab, at least one heavy component of the truck is mounted within the caband is supported at those points where cab Cil support members aredrilled for attachment to the truck frames, the cab containing the heavycomponents is supported on a stacked arrangement of truck frames and thetruck frames are supported by and secured to the deck of the container,whereby the heavier assemblies 0f the trucks are mounted in load bearingrelationship to the deck of the container.

18. A package according to claim 17 wherein four complete truckassemblies are packaged within the container by securing two pairs ofsuperimposed frames in side-byside relationship to each other andmounting four cabs along the lengthwise dimension of the top of thestacked frames.

19. A package according to claim 18 wherein the coniponents of thetrucks are prepared for insertion into the container in prepackagedunits, at least one group of prepackaged units including truck frames,another group of prepackaged units including the cabs and their contentsand a third group of prepackaged units including those truck componentsnot included in the first and second groups.

20. A package according to claim 17 wherein the truck is of theflat-faced cowl type and no body is attached to the truck wherein theframes of the truck are secured to the deck of the container in stackedrelationship to each other, and heavy components of the truck are nestedwithin the side members of the frames of the truck.

21. A package according to claim 20 wherein at least three frames arestacked on top of each other.

22. A package according to claim 2l wherein the truck is of thecowl-and-windshield type and a plurality of cowls and windshields arenested together'.

23. A package according to claim 20 wherein the heavy components nestedwithin the frames include engines and transmissions.

References Cited U NITED STATES PATENTS 2,953,848 9/1960 Cadillac et al.206-46(MACH) 3,286,827 ll/l966 Cadillac et al 206-47 3,456,830 7/1969Golder 220-15 WILLIAM DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.220-l.5

